Secrets (story 2 in my series)
by WafflesRtheBest
Summary: Sofia and Cedric struggle to keep their relationship a secret while James has his heart broken and Sofia realizes it might not be as easy to get her parent's approval after all. Can Sofia and Cedric also overcome a rude suitor, and disapproving fathers? Cedric x (Adult) Sofia, Cedfia. Cover Art by: JessDeaton on DA, PS I do not own these characters, Disney does
1. Chapter 1

**Cover Art by: JessDeaton**

** **This takes place in a A/U where Sofia is 18, and Cedric is 28****

**Chapter Notes: Sequel to Dreams, my first fanfic (you might want to read it before this one b/c this takes place immediately after it)**

**it's a bit longer than Dreams, and I will try to upload one chapter a day to give me time to finish it by the weekend. (I have six rough draft chapters complete right now) but, I'm having a lot of fun writing it :) reviews are welcome, they encourage me ^^ **

**Also please excuse my terrible grammar and what not *blush***

1.

Sofia stood next to Baileywick, Cedric, and a lot of the other staff to welcome home her parents, the King and Queen of Enchancia. Their Carriage had stopped and when they stepped out Princess Sofia ran to hug her Mom and Dad. They had only been gone a day, but Sofia was bursting with joy to see them. This was partially because she was dying to tell them about her feelings for Cedric. She was still Giddy from yesterday, and looking forward to spending an afternoon with him today. Together, Cedric and Sofia had decided to keep their relationship a secret until Sofia was sure that her parents would approve. She didn't have a lot of doubt that they would, but he seemed to.

Once everyone said hello, the King and Queen left to unpack and get re-settled. Baileywick began to give orders for lunch preparations since it would be time to eat soon. Cedric tried to catch Sofia's gaze and when he did he started walking away from the crowd. She couldn't help but smile, and chased after him. When she had caught up to him she matched his pace, keeping her hands clasped in front of her.

"Are you still sure this is all going to work," he said quietly.

"Of course!" She said a bit louder.

Cedric shushed her and glanced around to see if anyone was watching them. "Just making sure," he said.

"I'll see you right after lunch," she told him.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said smiling at her.

"Cedric?" Baileywick said the sorcerer's name, causing poor Cedric to jump.

"Y-yes?" He said, taking a step away from the princess.

"I hope you aren't pestering Princess Sofia, it's almost time for lunch." Baileywick was looking at his stop watch as he spoke.

"Don't be silly Baileywick. He never pesters me, I'm too busy pestering him." Sofia said cheerfully. Baileywick smiled at her and walked away. Even though their romantic relationship was a secret, the fact that she was often seen with the bumbling sorcerer was not. Everyone knew how much Sofia admired Cedric, even if they didn't always understand why. They had even gotten into the habit of only speaking kindly about him when she was around, otherwise she would jump to his defense.

"Do you think he heard us?" Cedric whispered.

"It's not like we were planning our wedding, Cedric. Relax, I'll see you after lunch." She quickly glanced around the hall, and upon seeing no one she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Cedric stumbled backwards, shocked but smiling.

Sofia turned and skipped to the dining hall, her parents probably weren't there yet, but she didn't mind waiting. When she got there she helped Baileywick set the table, he asked her how her day was going.

"Great, I'm glad Mom and Dad are back." She replied. Baileywick left to check on things in the kitchen, while Sofia sat down. She rested on her elbows and sighed. When she was joined by her parents, she asked them how their trip had been. Before they could answer Baileywick ran into dining area.

"Your Majesties, Prince James is home." He said, trying to catch his breath.

"So soon?" Her mom asked.

"Yes, I'm home early." James said as he entered the dining room, still wearing his travelling clothes.

"Is something wrong?" King Roland asked his son.

"You could say that," he said bitterly. "Princess Jun broke off our courtship so she could be with their new Royal Sorcerer." James looked really upset.

"Oh, no I'm so sorry to hear that James," their Mom said, standing to offer him a hug. He waved her off.

"Thanks mom, but, I just want to be alone. Baileywick, could you have dinner sent to my room?" he asked.

"Of course," the faithful steward said.

James left the room, and the mood had changed. Sofia felt so bad for him. He had really seemed to like her.

"For the Royal Sorcerer, of all people." Her Dad said, hitting the table. Sofia sat up straight.

"Why does that matter?" Sofia asked, both of her parents turned to look at her.

"Wasn't he really old?" Her mom said.

"No, He was replaced a few years ago." Her dad said. "But still, the Sorcerer works for them. It's just," he shrugged, "Very improper."

"Rollie, I was technically working for you, when we met." Queen Miranda pointed out.

"That's true," Sofia pointed out. "Why would that matter?"

"Well, Sofia, what really matters is that she broke your brother's heart." King Rolland pointed out.

"Right," Sofia looked down at her hands.

"Let's not discuss this anymore," Her mother said shortly. She was giving King Roland a look that meant they would be talking about it later, when they were alone. Sometimes Sofia thought that King Roland forgot that Her mother and she had only been commoners when they had gotten married.

"Sofia, what were your plans for the rest of the day?" Her mother asked.

Sofia laughed nervously. "Oh, nothing really. Mr. Cedric was going to show me some new spells." She said quickly.

Her dad shuddered. "If you really want to learn magic, Sofia, maybe we should find you a better mentor."

"No! Mr. Cedric is a great sorcerer,"

"I know he's your friend, but he screws up as many spells as he gets right." Her dad pointed out.

"You know that isn't true. He's also a great teacher," Sofia pointed out. "Very patient." She couldn't believe that after all this time her father _still_ thought so poorly of Cedric.

"Well, if you're done eating why don't you run along?" Her mother suggested, nudging her dad under the table. "Your Dad and I have to finish unpacking."

Sofia nodded, and excused herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**I have finished Secrets, and will be uploading a new chapter once a day :) There are 7 total chapters. I am now working on another sequel (this time to Secrets.. so Maybe a 3quel?) and I have another story in mind after that (a 4quel? lol) By the time this is posted I will hopefully have the third one done. :) Reviews are encouraged! **

2.

The walk to Cedric's workshop wasn't as cheerful as she had been expecting it to be. Her father seemed to notice the sorcerer's mistakes more than his accomplishments. Despite what anyone thought Cedric was a very talented spell caster. He just did better when no one critical was watching. She had seen him do amazing things, since he wasn't prone to be nervous around her.

When she got to his door some of the defeat had been replaced by excitement. She knocked and heard glass shatter on the other side of the door, followed by one of Cedric's colorful curses. It made her smile.

"Come in," he groaned. She opened the door and saw him sweeping up a small pile of shattered glass. When he glanced up and saw that it was Sofia he smiled. "Oh, it's you."

"Who else would it be?" She asked, taking the broom from him and cleaning up the rest of his mess. He dusted his hands off on his robe and retrieved another vial.

"People are always knocking on my door for things," he said absently. He filled the empty vial with a pink thick liquid and closed it with a stopper.

"What's that?" she asked, after tossing out the broken glass. Really, without her occasionally stopping by to see him, his workshop would be a disaster.

"I made this for you," he said quietly, and handed her the little pink potion.

"Ooh, what does it do?" She asked turning the small vial over in her hand.

"It's a small version of the petal spell. Just pour out the contents and rose petals will appear." he fiddled with his wand.

"Oh, thank you so much. I love it." She wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. "But, are you just trying to get out of teaching me the spell?" she asked.

"Maybe, at least for a little while." He kissed her and she felt warm and happy and wonderful. When he pulled away he asked her, "Unless that's really what you want to do right now?"

"Not really," she said. Then she remembered the news about James and sighed. He would not be happy to hear it. "So, I spoke to my parents."

The color drained out of his face, "You did?"

"Yeah, I'm actually kind of worried now…" she trailed off, pulling away. She rubbed her amulet and set the potion by the door where she would remember it.

"You are?" he took her hand and led her down to his private quarters. She couldn't help but blush remembering the last time they were down there at the same time. When they reached the bottom Cedric took off his sorcerer's robe and draped it over a chair. He then waved his wand to clear off a small chaise that had been used to hold stacks of books. They sat down, facing each other.

"When we sat down for lunch James came in,"

"He is back already?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah, because Princess Jun broke off their courtship." She bit her lip.

"That's unfortunate," he said.

"Well, yeah, but then he told us _why_." She was stalling. She didn't want to say it.

"I'm guessing this is where it gets troublesome." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"She left him to be with their Royal Sorcerer," she finally blurted out.

"Oh," he said. "Oh, oh no." He leaned back. "I'm guessing your parents had some… choice words to say about that."

"Well, Dad did." Sofia admitted. "But, that wasn't the worst part." Could she tell him what else he had said? Maybe he could help her come up with a solution. She wanted to be with Cedric, and she just couldn't keep it a secret forever.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Cedric stood up, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Cedric," she grabbed at his hand, and was relieved when he didn't push her away again.

"We could just keep it a secret." He turned around and kneeled down on the floor in front of her.

"You know that won't work. Not forever." She said to him, reaching out to fluff his gray bangs. He grimaced at her, but didn't prevent her from doing it. "But that isn't the worst part."

"What else did he say?"

"He wanted to replace you as my magic teacher, but I told him no." he pulled away from her and began to pace the room. "Maybe we can show him how wrong he is about you? Maybe there is some big display of power we could show him to prove how great you are."

Cedric kicked at the stone floor, "I could make the whole palace float in the air and he still wouldn't think I was good enough for you."

"Well, I think you're an amazing sorcerer," Sofia said defiantly. "And I told him that. I'll tell him again too. This isn't the dark ages, they can't choose my husband for me." Once she had said it, it dawned on her that husband was a little premature. She quickly tried to cover her tracks, "or who I want to court, and be involved with, or… date." She finished lamely. Cedric seemed too upset what her father had said to have noticed.

"You'd go against your parent's wishes for me?" he said softly, looking down at his feet.

Sofia stood and held his face in her hands, "I won't have to. I will change their opinion of you." She gave him a peck on the tip of his nose and added, "Whether they like it or not."


	3. Chapter 3

3.

They spent a pleasant afternoon together, trying to come up with ways to tell her parents. They decided to wait a bit longer, since the news would no doubt hit a sore spot with James. And then Sofia would simply approach her mother first.

She had been sitting on his lap while he read to her from an old magical history book when the workshop door opened. Sofia leapt off of his lap and looked at Cedric, eyes wide.

"Cedric, is Sofia with you?" It was Baileywick. He sounded suspicious. He would consider it quite improper for them to be down here alone.

"No, no, she went to her room a while ago." Cedric called up, while leading Sofia to a dark corner. He tugged a black cloth off of the large mirror and waved his wand so that she could escape. She squeezed his hand and jumped through. It wasn't until she was inside her closet, with a white sheet over her head, that she realized she had forgotten the potion he had made her.

She turned around, but only saw the black cloth. She replaced the white sheet, and shrugged. It would be an excuse to go see him again. Since she was already in her closet she changed for dinner and then walked out to see her mother sitting on her bed.

"Sofia! Have you been in there all this time? I've been looking for you."

"Oh, uh, yeah sorry. I was trying to decide what to wear." She smoothed down her simple gown, a dark red one with a black floral pattern.

"Well, come on. I want to talk to you, but we can talk on the way to dinner." She smiled and held out her hand. Sofia smiled and took it. She didn't like lying to her mother, but she knew now wasn't the time to reveal her feelings for Cedric.

"Will James be coming to dinner?" Sofia asked.

Her mother chuckled, "I'm sure he will, Princess Vivian has come to pay him a visit."

"Oh wow," Sofia smiled, her shy friend had always had a crush on James. Of course many of her friends did.

"Yeah, I think he'll recover from his break up rather quickly." Her mother smiled. This was great news, Sofia thought.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Sofia asked.

"Well, your future, I guess."

"My future?"

"Now that you're no longer in school I thought you'd want to discuss what's next."

"Oh," she hadn't thought about it too much, but the answer was easy. "I think I'd like to study Sorcery."

"No, that's not exactly what I meant," her mother squeezed Sofia's hand. "Your father and I were wondering if you had anyone in mind, you know, that you might like to court, or marry…" She trailed off. "Your father has received an offer on your behalf, but I told him we would need to speak to you first."

"Oh, um, no… I'm not really interested." Sofia said, trying to think of what to say. Should she go ahead and tell her mother about Cedric?

"You don't even know who it's from," Miranda stopped walking to look at her daughter. "So you do have feelings for someone?" she asked.

"Um," Sofia wrung her hands.

"Your father really wants you to meet this young man. If you don't have someone in mind already, I doubt that he'll be talked out of at least introducing you two." Her mother warned.

"So, if I _do_ happen to like someone… Will I have to tell him who it is?" Sofia asked.

"I'm afraid you will."

"Oh," Sofia opened her mouth to tell her mother, she would know what to do, but they had reached the dining room and King Rolland was waiting for them. She lost her nerve, knowing how he might react.

"Sofia, did your mother tell you the news?" he asked.

"Um, yes…" she was momentarily distracted by James and Vivian sitting at the table. Despite his earlier mood he was now laughing at something Vivian had said. This cheered Sofia up somewhat.

"Great! He'll be here tomorrow morning."

"Wait, I don't want-"

"Don't be shy, Sofia, it's just an introduction." Her father patted her on the shoulder and led her to her seat. "No pressure." They all took their seats, as dinner was served. "And I'm sorry about what I said earlier, about Cedric." he added between bites of roasted chicken.

"You are?" Sofia smiled, her spirits lifting.

"Yes. In fact, Baileywick?" He called the castle steward over. "Summon Cedric."

"Right away, King Rolland." Baileywick nodded and left the room. Sofia looked from her dad to her mom, trying to figure out what was going on. Her mother shrugged.

"You summoned me, your majesty?" Cedric entered the room, following Baileywick. The sorcerer bowed low, but appeared pale and glanced at Sofia cautiously.

"I did," King Rolland smiled at him, and motioned to Sofia. "Sofia will be having a special guest tomorrow for breakfast. Since she is so fond of your magic tricks I thought you could put on a magic show for them." Her father beamed at Sofia, assuming that this would please her. She awkwardly smiled in response, and looked at Cedric, panicked. He was gripping his wand a little tighter than usual.

"S-special guest?" he asked, his voice cracking a little.

"Dad is trying to set Sofia up with the son of one of his old friends," James offered, rolling his eyes.

There was a snap as Cedric's wand broke in half.

**Maybe I should point out that Prince Maximus is an OC character that I made up on the fly? **


	4. Chapter 4

**This was one of my favorite chapters to write ^^ **

4.

Cedric looked down at his broken wand and said quietly, "Of course, your majesty." He bowed and left without looking at Sofia.

"There," King Rolland said to Sofia, pleased with himself. "If Prince Maximus doesn't interest you at least you'll have a magic show to look forward to."

Sofia nodded, and began moving the food around on her plate. The conversation shifted to other things, but she wasn't paying attention. She was thinking about Cedric, he hadn't even looked at her when he left. Maybe he was furious, maybe he thought she had known about this and had kept it from him, or maybe he felt even more defeated and wouldn't want to bother with her anymore. Sofia bit her lip and excused herself. She had only managed to eat a few bites, but she wasn't hungry anymore.

She walked back to her room, knowing at this late hour heading to Cedric's workshop would be a bad idea. But, there was always the mirror.

When she got to her room she shut the door and told the maid who had been gathering her laundry to not let anyone disturb her because she was very tired. The maid nodded and left. As soon as the door closed Sofia jogged into her closet and pulled off the white sheet on the mirror. The only thing she could see was the back of the black cloth on Cedric's mirror, but that wasn't going to stop her. She grabbed his wand and waved it how he had shown her and walked through. Cedric was in the room, angrily pacing. He had started undressing for bed, and she found herself staring at his bare chest once again.

"Cedric?" she said softly. He jumped and looked at her. He didn't even seem to remember that he wasn't wearing a shirt and rushed over to her.

"We could leave the kingdom, and-" he started to say, but she shushed him.

"He just wants me to meet the Prince, afterwards I'll just tell them both I am not interested." She touched his cheek.

"Yeah? And what if you find him handsome and charming?" Cedric accused, but he didn't pull away.

Her lip twitched in a smile. "Don't you know by now, that handsome and charming just isn't my type?" she teased.

"Funny," he said, scowling down at her.

"Don't worry Cedric, I find you very attractive." She was feeling cozy and the earlier stress of everything was melting away. "James and Vivian were having a great time at dinner, so once this little _introduction_ is over I'll tell my mother about you." Sofia said firmly.

"Are you sure that's wise?" he said, placing his hands gently on her hips. She could feel his warmth through her dress.

"No, but if my father is going to start setting me up on blind dates we don't have much choice." Sofia traced the tattoo on his arm. His grip on her tightened.

"I hate to say this, but you should go." His voice was breathy.

"Why?" She asked, but she knew why. She was starting to notice how he was pressed against her. Did she have to go?

Instead of answering he kissed her. It was a soft, sincere kiss and it made Sofia weak in the knees. When she came up for air she hesitantly pulled away, knowing that leaving was for the best. Before things escalated.

As she headed towards the mirror that would send her back into her closet she saw the small vial set out for her. She scooped it and looked back him, he was watching her with clear desire in his eyes. Sofia smiled at him and waved the wand before stepping through the mirror. Once back in her closet she turned around to see him walking towards the mirror. He was still staring at her.

A mischievous grin spread over Sofia's face and she began to untie the sides of her dress. He froze, eyes widening. She looked up, and feigned shock at still seeing him there. She waved and draped the white sheet over the mirror. She giggled and finished changing into her nightgown. Once she was back into her room she hugged the vial and then released the stopper. The liquid became flower petals as it hit the air and they danced delicately around the room as if moved my wind. She smiled and danced among them.

She hadn't been able to forget about meeting Prince Maximus in the morning, but she was too happy to care. Soon she was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

When Sofia woke up she had almost forgotten all about meeting Prince Maximus, but quickly remembered. Clover was hopping around all over the enchanted petals that had fallen onto the floor.

"What are these?" Clover asked, stopping to eat one.

"Cedric game me a potion that conjures magical rose petals," she said, rubbing her eyes and then stretching.

"Well don't worry, Princess. I'll clean these up for you." He ate another one. She got out of bed and bent down to scratch behind Clover's ears the way he liked.

"That's so kind of you, Clover." She smiled and went into her closet to pick out something to wear. She wasn't sure what to put on, she didn't want to lead Prince Maximus on, but she would be seeing Cedric. She tapped her chin until some black fabric caught her eye.

She pulled on the black dress with a delicate white lace trim. She had a feeling this would appeal to Cedric, while not attracting the Prince. She smiled at her reflection, and brushed out her hair. There was a knock at the door, and she skipped over to answer it.

"Oh, good. You're ready. Prince Maximus has arrived. Your father has set out breakfast in the gardens and has summoned Cedric." Baileywick said, but then he peered behind her and gasped. "What happened in your room?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just practicing a spell," Sofia stepped aside and Baileywick took in the damage. "Clover is taking care of it," she pointed out. Her friend was still happily munching on the petals.

"I see," Baileywick shook his head and smiled at her. "Right this way, Princess Sofia."

She followed him out to the gardens where a small white table had been set up. Prince Maximus was standing with his back to her, looking at the fountain. The table held fresh fruit and morning pastries, complete with her favorite jasmine tea. Her father was standing next to Prince Maximus and telling him about the castle.

"Oh, she's here." King Rolland said, smiling at Princess Sofia. Prince Maximus turned to look at her, he was wearing a bright blue jacket, white shirt and vest with dark blue pants. His hair was black and curly, and his eyes were a bright hazel. He was quite handsome, she thought, but not really her type. She looked around, but Cedric wasn't around yet.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sofia." He bowed and looked her up and down.

"I'll let you two get to know each other." King Rolland gave her a thumbs-up as he walked past her. Baileywick followed him, and Sofia gave Prince Maximus an awkward smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, Prince Maximus."

"You can call me Max." he held her chair out for her. She thanked him and sat down, and he took his seat. She twirled a fork and stared at her plate. She couldn't think of what to say so she took a few bites of her breakfast. Prince Maximus was watching her, and not touching his own plate.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"Not really," he said. "You're quite beautiful, you know. Though, I'm not sure black is you color."

"Oh, um, thanks?" She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. But she was glad that he didn't like her dress. She looked around for Cedric, but still didn't see him anywhere.

"When we are married I'll buy you plenty of colorful dresses to wear." He said casually.

"Married?" Sofia squeaked. "Don't you think that's jumping ahead, quite a bit?" she frowned.

He shrugged, "If you say so." He picked up a glass of juice and started to drink it but then it poured all over the front of his shirt instead. He gasped and started to wipe his clothing dry.

"Are you okay?" Sofia asked, but she had to bite her lip to prevent from smiling. For as cocky as he was acting, he sure was clumsy.

"Not really," he sniffed. He picked up his chair and set it closer to hers and sat down. "But let's move on from that. Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, well, I like sorcery a lot. And when I was in school I raced in Flying Derby which was a ton of fun."

"That's not very lady-like, but," he leaned closer to her, "it's very intriguing." He started to put his arm around her, but while he was leaning in his chair fell over and he crashed onto the ground. He took the table with him. Food spilled everywhere, and Sofia gasped.

"Are you all right?" Sofia asked, reaching to help him up.

"Not sure what's wrong with these chairs," he dusted himself off. She righted the fallen chair, setting it further away from hers, but didn't know what to do about all of the mess. Prince Maximus shrugged, "I wasn't hungry anyway."

"I can ask to have more brought to us," Sofia offered. She righted the table.

"No need." Prince Maximus took her hands in his and smirked at her. She tried to pull away but he held her tighter and stepped closer. Sofia stepped back again, and when Prince Maximus stepped to follow after her he slipped and fell backwards, finally releasing her. Sofia covered her mouth to keep from laughing, and looked around. She spotted Cedric leaning against a wall several feet away He was chuckling and twirling his wand triumphantly in his hand. Sofia put her hands on her hips, but smiled at him. She should have known that no one could be _that_ clumsy.

Seeing that he had been caught, Cedric moved to join them. Sofia helped Prince Maximus stand, and upon seeing Cedric he sighed.

"_This_ is your royal sorcerer?" he asked, looking down his nose at Cedric. This irritated Sofia, and she saw that it had caused Cedric to tense up.

"He happens to be the most talented sorcerer in the whole world." She said, crossing her arms.

"I am known as Cedric the Sensational," he said evenly. Sofia smiled, he still used the title he had given her so many years ago. He waved his wand at the mess and it disappeared. The table and chairs were still there, but the chairs had been set much further apart. "Now that the mess is taken care of I've been asked to perform for you both." Cedric set a bag of potions down on the table. She knew how much putting on magic shows annoyed him, unless they were extravagant displays for special occasions.

"Fine," Prince Maximus said. He grabbed his chair and sat it right next to Sofia's again. Cedric narrowed his eyes but began digging through his bag.

"Princess, do you really like these parlor tricks," Prince Maximus asked her.

Before she could say anything Cedric pulled out a potion, "I can turn one of you invisible." He offered cheerfully.

"Pass," Prince Maximus made a show of yawning. Cedric dropped the potion back into the bag, and went back to scowling. After a few moments he held out his wand.

"Sofia, why don't we take a walk? Show me the gardens." Prince Maximus took her arm and led her past Cedric. Sofia frowned, but wasn't sure what else to say. Cedric looked so unhappy.

"I can give you a quick tour I guess." She said finally. She looked back at Cedric, who was not pleased at this either.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

She didn't like the way Prince Maximus had treated Cedric at all. Sofia pointed out random things and gave a brief description of what they were. She didn't want to be rude, but the sooner this tour was over the better. Then she could shake his hand and leave, her dad could be satisfied with that. She pointed out the maze entrance.

"Now that we're alone again," Prince Maximus said and he put his arm around her.

"Stop it." Sofia said firmly shrugging his arm off. "I should probably tell you that I am not interested in you like that." She stopped walking and crossed her arms.

"Not interested in me?" Prince Maximus laughed at her. "That hardly matters, when we get married we can combine all of our lands."

"Well, it matters to me. Let me show you back to your carriage." She turned on her heel and started walking back towards the fountain. He wasn't really getting on her nerves by assuming that he could just marry her without her approval.

"Oh please Princess, why are you being so coy?" He grabbed her hand again, but wouldn't let it go when she tried to pull away.

"Let me go!" she raised her voice, hoping someone would hear. What was wrong with this guy?

"You aren't even giving me a chance." He snapped at her. Sofia kicked him as hard as she could in the shin, and he yelped and fell. She rubbed her wrist where he had grabbed her.

She began storming back to the fountain, intending to find and have a word with her father. How could he set this up with such a deplorable guy? He was rude, arrogant, and pushy. Prince Maximus could find his own way to the stables. She had gotten a few feet away when the prince grabbed her arm from behind, this time much harder than before. Sofia yelped.

"How dare you kick me?!" He growled at her.

Before she could cry out, or kick him again, a voice called out, "Ignis Ardebit!" and a small flame erupted on the Prince's damp vest. He gasped and stepped back, trying to pat out the fire. Sofia turned to see Cedric marching towards them, he was furious. Despite her relief at seeing the sorcerer, he looked ready to seriously harm the Prince so she rushed to stop him .

"Don't Cedric," She said gently. He was breathing heavily, and he looked from her, and back to the prince who had finally gotten the flame to go out.

"What is going on out here?" Her father demanded. He walked out from behind a tall hedge followed by Baileywick and joined them.

"He set me on fire." Prince Maximus glared at Cedric and pointed a finger at him.

"And I'd be happy to do it again." Cedric raised his wand.

"Cedric! What do you think you're doing?" Her father demanded.

"It's not his fault, Dad," Sofia began, but the Prince interrupted her.

"Your daughter assaulted me."

"What?" Now King Rolland was really confused. Baileywick looked down at Sofia's arm where a red handprint still showed on her skin. He gasped, and pointed it out to her dad.

"Did he do that to you?" Baileywick lifted her arm gingerly and then started to check her over for any more marks.

"Yes, he was saying very rude things to me. And he kept grabbing and pawing at me even after I told him not to." She said. Really, he hadn't hurt her that badly. But, it had still shaken her up.

"You need to leave, now." King Rolland said to Prince Maximus.

"My father will hear about this!" Prince Maximus stomped his foot and then sauntered towards the stables where his carriage would be.

"Yes, he will." King Rolland confirmed, causing the prince the flinch.

Once He was out of sight her Dad's shoulders fell, "I'm so sorry Sofia, I had no idea that he was such a creep." He looked back to Cedric, "Thank you for protecting her, Cedric." He smiled at him.

Cedric's eyes widened, "Y-you're very welcome, your majesty." Cedric bowed.

"So you need any tending for this?" Baileywick asked Sofia.

"No, I'll be fine." She rubbed her arm. "I kicked him harder than he grabbed me."

"That's my girl." King Rolland said. "Cedric?" The sorcerer had been attempting to slink away, and jerked when the king said his name.

"Yes?" Cedric cleared his throat, "Sire?"

"Can you see Sofia safely back inside? I want to make sure Prince Maximus leaves." Her father began marching to the stables. Baileywick followed, either to keep the king from throttling the prince or to help him.

"Thank you, Cedric." Sofia said, looking up at him. They were alone. Cedric started to smile, but then stopped and scowled.

"What were you thinking? Going off alone with that… that…"

"I thought it would make him leave faster," Sofia said. "And I know how you hate putting on little magic shows. Besides, it's a good thing you continued to spy on me." She arched her eyebrows.

"I wasn't spying, I was, watching…" he trailed off.

"Either way, I'm glad you were close by. He was a real jerk." Sofia tucked her arm around his, making him blush and glance around nervously.

"Dad said to escort me," She pointed out.

"Not in those exact words," he said.

"Close enough," Sofia began leading Cedric back inside the castle.

"I hated watching you with him," he said quietly.

"Well I'm with _you_ now." She hugged his arm. When Cedric looked down at her, Sofia took the opportunity to sneak a quick kiss. He was so preoccupied with scolding her afterwards that he didn't notice the shadowed figure who watching them.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

Sofia decided that it was time to talk to her mother. She didn't want to go through another situation like that again. When they got inside the castle she asked the nearest maid where Queen Miranda was. The maid said that she was likely still in the banquet hall with Prince James.

"Do you want to come with me?" Sofia asked Cedric. She still wasn't sure how James would react, but hopefully he wouldn't be mad at them. He was the type to move on quickly, especially if a new girl was giving him attention.

"Not really," he said. "But I will." He let her take his hand.

She knew that he was nervous, she could tell by how tense he looked. But it was the right thing to do, she didn't like keeping secrets. When they arrived in the banquet hall it was empty. Cedric let out a long sigh.

"I wonder where they went?" Sofia asked, looking around. Cedric let go of her hand to check the kitchens, Sofia peered out into the halls for any sign.

"They're in the throne room," Cedric came out of the kitchens. He looked pale.

"Let's go." She said, turning to head that way.

"With my father," Cedric added in a low voice. Sofia stopped, surprised.

"Why do you think Mr. Goodwin is here?" Sofia asked, but Cedric only shrugged. He also looked considerably more nervous.

"We can tell them all at the same time," Sofia smiled, but Cedric shook his head.

"He won't like it."

"Why?"

"Same reason your parents won't like it. He won't think I'm good enough." He scowled.

"But, ever since we visited your parents at Mystic Meadows he had seemed much less critical of you." She said, remembering just how nitpicky and bossy his father had been. But she had helped Nr. Goodwin see just how great his son was, he couldn't still be so negative could he?

"Yeah, well. This is a little different. Maybe we should wait a few more days." Cedric rubbed his hands together nervously.

"Don't worry so much Cedric, It'll be ok." She started walking towards the throne room, and Cedric followed. She just knew everything would work out fine, her father had even seen how great he was earlier.

"I wanted to tell you," Cedric cleared his throat. "That you look lovely in that dress, by the way." After a moment he added, "I probably wouldn't have had the chance after your parents threw me in the dungeon."

Sofia laughed, she couldn't help it.

"You're over reacting." She said

"I hope so," he was biting his lip.

Then finally reached the throne room, and everyone one seemed to be there. Baileywick was close by, her parents and James were all standing with Goodwin in the center throne room. When Sofia and Cedric entered Goodwin broke away to approach his son. His face was red and angry.

"How could you," Goodwin said to Cedric. "I thought you had put that nonsense behind you!"

"What are you talking about?" Cedric looked confused.

"You're still after her Amulet!" he accused.

"My Amulet?" Sofia asked, why would Goodwin accuse him of that?

"I saw you two outside," Goodwin crossed his arms. "When Cedric moved the enchanted portrait I gave him, I just knew something was up." He was speaking to the room now. "Sofia, he is trying to take your Amulet, he has some delusion about taking over the kingdom."

"What?" Sofia just laughed. "That's ridiculous."

"Goodwin says that Cedric has been after your Amulet for a long time." King Rolland spoke firmly.

"That's not true." Sofia said. She looked at Cedric, expecting him to look annoyed, but he was scared. "That's not true, is it Cedric?"

It took a long time for him to speak, and he looked down at his feet when he did. Sofia held her breath, and he finally spoke.

"No, I am no longer trying to steal the Amulet of Avalor," he said.

"So you admit it?" King Rolland said, motioning for the guards to grab Cedric.

"No!" Sofia cried out. "He said he wasn't trying to get it."

"He said he wasn't trying to get it _any longer_, Sofia." King Rolland clarified.

"oh, Sofia." Her mother said softly. Sofia shook her head, refusing to believe that the past few days had been some sort of ruse. But, Cedric wouldn't look at her.

"Take him to the dungeon." King Rolland commanded. Desperate, Sofia tried to think, but her thoughts were racing. Finally something occurred to her.

"No! He wasn't after my amulet, and I can prove it!" Sofia shouted. Everyone was looking at her now, even Cedric.

"How?" Goodwin asked, skeptical.

Sofia lifted her chin defiantly, "The other day when I was in his workshop, I _handed_ him my amulet, and he gave it right back!" She did remember his theatrics about it, but, he had given it right back to her.

"You took off your amulet?" her father asked.

"It was damaged with this black, tar-like stuff. I gave it to Cedric so he could get the substance off, and fix it. He cleaned it off and handed it right back to me. He could have taken it. I am no match for his magical abilities, he could have easily taken it and I would never have seen my amulet again."

"Is that true, Cedric?" Goodwin asked.

"It, it is." He said, looking at Sofia. She couldn't read his expression, but maybe it was hope.

"But he still had planned to take it, and try to overthrow me." King Rolland said. "Take him to the dungeons." He waved his hands and the guards began dragging Cedric off, he struggled for a moment before giving up. Before he was taken from the room, he looked at Sofia.

"I'm sorry Princess Sofia," he said softly. Then he was gone.

"Why won't you listen to me?" Sofia pleaded. "Don't do this to him!"

"Sofia, he broke the law." King Rolland said firmly.

Sofia turned to Goodwin, "This is all your fault! Why do you think so poorly of your own son?" She accused. Goodwin didn't look at her, but instead turned to her father.

"May I be excused, your majesty?" He asked sadly.

King Rolland nodded, and he disappeared in a flash of smoke.

"I won't let you do this," Sofia said desperately. No one was listening to her. Finally she was escorted to her room, and ordered to stay there.

**Poor Cedric, does this count as a cliff hanger? Story 3 in this little series will be up soon, stay tuned :) (and I hope you liked this one) also story four is also done so... should I update with more than 1 chapter a day? **

**also im posting this at midnight since I'll sleep late tomorrow :)**

**were you all surprised by Goodwin because I thought it was obvious in the summary with the father(s) bit O.O oh well lol I'm glad it caught you off guard (in a good way I hope)**


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